Tuesday Tutorial: Easy Layouts With 8 X 8 Paper Pads

I think one of the most overlooked October Afternoon products is the 8 X 8 paper pads. Sure, the patterns are the same as the 12 X 12 patterned paper sheets, but...and this is the key here...the patterns are on a smaller scale. The 8 X 8 papers are not just an 8 X 8 slice of a 12 X 12 paper, but are the 12 X 12 pattern reduced to 8 X 8. I've found that those smaller-scale patterns open up a new world of design opportunities.

One of my favorite ways to use the 8 X 8 papers is to just tear out a whole sheet from the paper pad, glue it to the center of a 12 X 12 sheet of patterned paper or cardstock, and use it as a canvas within a canvas. Because the 8 X 8 papers have small-scale patterns, they can be used as a background canvas more easily than their 12 X 12 counterparts, as a smaller-scale pattern is less likely to compete with other page elements.

The layout I created for today's tutorial makes use of the Sidewalks line (with a flashcard from the 5 & Dime Miscellany thrown in there). The small-scale text-print paper is from the 8 X 8 Sidewalks paper pad, and is set against a larger-scale 12 X 12 patterned paper, also from the Sidewalks collection. Using the two patterned papers already made for an interesting layout, so it was quick to finish out my design with Miscellany, Flower Sack bits and pieces, and a label sticker cut in half.

I will leave you with two oldies but goodies, layouts I've done previously that use this same technique of a sheet from an 8 X 8 paper pad on a larger 12 X 12 canvas. The first showcases the Boarding Pass collection and the second showcases the 5 & Dime Collection.

I think one of the most overlooked October Afternoon products is the 8 X 8 paper pads. Sure, the patterns are the same as the 12 X 12 patterned paper sheets, but...and this is the key here...the patterns are on a smaller scale. The 8 X 8 papers are not just an 8 X 8 slice of a 12 X 12 paper, but are the 12 X 12 pattern reduced to 8 X 8. I've found that those smaller-scale patterns open up a new world of design opportunities.

One of my favorite ways to use the 8 X 8 papers is to just tear out a whole sheet from the paper pad, glue it to the center of a 12 X 12 sheet of patterned paper or cardstock, and use it as a canvas within a canvas. Because the 8 X 8 papers have small-scale patterns, they can be used as a background canvas more easily than their 12 X 12 counterparts, as a smaller-scale pattern is less likely to compete with other page elements.

The layout I created for today's tutorial makes use of the Sidewalks line (with a flashcard from the 5 & Dime Miscellany thrown in there). The small-scale text-print paper is from the 8 X 8 Sidewalks paper pad, and is set against a larger-scale 12 X 12 patterned paper, also from the Sidewalks collection. Using the two patterned papers already made for an interesting layout, so it was quick to finish out my design with Miscellany, Flower Sack bits and pieces, and a label sticker cut in half.

I will leave you with two oldies but goodies, layouts I've done previously that use this same technique of a sheet from an 8 X 8 paper pad on a larger 12 X 12 canvas. The first showcases the Boarding Pass collection and the second showcases the 5 & Dime Collection.